Cargo Transport Device for Towing Behind Watercraft

ABSTRACT

A cargo transport device for towing behind a watercraft features a watertight container and a connection member extending along a longitudinal axis between the container and the watercraft. The connection member includes a swivel such that the container and watercraft on opposite sides of the swivel can pivot freely about the longitudinal axis. This free pivoting allows relative rotation between the container and watercraft such that each can react to outside forces, for example those exerted by waves, independently. As a result, rolling of the container does not tend to induce rolling of the watercraft and so the ride quality of the watercraft is not significantly reduced by towing the device. The container has a streamlined shape narrowing towards opposite ends thereof to reduce resistance to motion through water.

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S.provisional application Ser. No. 60/759,069, filed Jan. 17, 2006.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a towable cargo vessel and more particularlyto a watertight cargo vessel that can be towed behind a watercraft withminimum detrimental effect on the watercraft's ride quality.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

People using watercraft for travel or recreation often find that storagespace for cargo such as camping equipment, clothes, food and othersupplies is quite limited. This is particularly true in the case ofsmaller watercraft, for example a canoe or kayak. One known solution tothis problem is to pack articles inside a watertight bag, often referredto as a dry bag, and then tie the bag to the watercraft with a rope orother suitable line. The bag can then be dragged behind the craft withinthe water while keeping its contents dry. These bags are generallylimited to carrying relatively small items, increase the resistance tomotion of the craft through the water and tend to develop leaks overtime.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,280 describes a towable cargo device having aboat-like shape for towing behind a watercraft. The device is connectedto the watercraft by means of conventional tow lines. During forwardacceleration, these tow lines become taught due to the weight of thedevice being pulled. However, a loss in forward acceleration may causethe ropes to become slack. This may cause the device to collide with therear of the watercraft or create a jerking effect thereon when thewatercraft accelerates forward and removes the slack from the toe lines.With the lines are slack, the watercraft is only pulling the relativelyinsignificant mass of the lines forward. Once the lines are stretchedtaught between the craft and the towable device, the mass of device isadded to the load being propelled forward. This sudden increase in masscauses a sudden reduction in the acceleration rate of the watercraftachieved by its driving force, causing the jerk or kickback effect.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,752 describes a towable cargo device having a tongueformed by two metal bars for towing behind a watercraft. At a forwardend of the tongue, there is provided a hook for attachment to the towingmeans of the watercraft, which are not detailed in the patent. Where thetowing means is a rope or similar flexible connection, it should beappreciated that the aforementioned jerk or kickback may also beexperienced when using this particular invention. Alternatively, it maybe possible to connect the hook directly to the watercraft to provide arigid connection which eliminates the jerking effect by maintaining afixed distance between the watercraft and cargo device. However, thiswould not allow any relative movement between the watercraft and cargodevice, thereby eliminating independent reaction to irregularities inthe water surface and therefore reducing ride comfort.

As a result, there is a desire for a cargo carrying device that can betowed behind a watercraft without creating excessive drag orsubstantially reducing ride quality and corresponding rider comfort.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided acargo transport device for towing behind a watercraft, said devicecomprising:

a watertight towable container; and

a connection member extending generally in a direction of a longitudinalaxis from a first connection point for connection to the container to asecond connection point for connection to the watercraft;

the connection member comprising a swivel disposed between the first andsecond connections points and arranged to allow relative pivotal motionbetween portions of said connection member on opposite sides of saidswivel about the longitudinal axis.

The relative pivotal motion allowed about the longitudinal axis by theswivel in the connection member helps maintain independence between thereaction of the watercraft and the container being towed thereby tooutside forces. For example, the container is allowed to undergo rollingdue to crashing of waves against its sides without tending to inducesimilar rolling of the watercraft. This would prove useful in situationswhere the watercraft and container are not aligned parallel withoncoming waves, as a single wave would impact the watercraft and thecontainer at different times.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provideda cargo transport device for towing behind a watercraft, said devicecomprising:

a watertight towable container; and

a connection member extending in a longitudinal direction from a firstconnection point arranged for connection to the container to a secondconnection point arranged for connection to the watercraft;

a distance between the first and second connection points beingsubstantially fixed.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provideda cargo transport device for towing behind a watercraft, said devicecomprising:

a watertight towable container; and

a connection member extending in a longitudinal direction from a firstconnection point arranged for connection to the container to a secondconnection point arranged for connection to the watercraft;

the container having a streamlined shape narrowing toward opposite endsthereof in the longitudinal direction.

The streamlined shape of the container reduces the resistance to forwardmotion experienced by the container as it is pulled through the water bythe watercraft, thereby increasing towing efficiency. In other words,the amount of drag exerted on the container during towing is keptrelatively low. Maintaining a constant distance between the connectionpoints reduces the occurrence of jerking or kickback on the watercraftas the container will tend to move with it.

Preferably the streamlined shape narrows in a horizontal plane towardthe opposite ends of the container.

Preferably the connection member is pivotable about a pivot axisextending transverse to the longitudinal axis at one or both of thefirst and second connection points to allow relative vertical movementtherebetween. This further allows the watercraft and container to reactto outside forces independently and thus increase ride comfort.

Preferably there is provided wheels supported on the container forrolling motion thereof along a ground surface.

Preferably the wheels are disposed proximate proximate one end of thecontainer such that lifting of an opposite end engages the wheels withthe ground surface. Rolling motion allows easy transport of the deviceover a relatively flat surface by eliminating the need to lift and carrythe entire container.

Preferably the connection member comprises a fixed portion at the secondconnection point for fixed mounting on the watercraft.

Preferably the fixed portion of the connection member is riveted forattachment to the watercraft. It is also preferable that the fixedportion of the connection member is also epoxied for waterproofattachment to the watercraft.

Preferably the connection member further comprises a detachable portionremovably connected to the fixed portion for selectively disconnectingthe watercraft and container.

Preferably the connection member is adapted at the first connectionpoint to be selectively detachable from the container.

The connection member may be connected to the container adjacent a firstend thereof and the device may further comprise a second connectionmember attached to the container adjacent a second end opposite thefirst end for connection to a second watertight towable container.

Preferably the watertight container is closable to define an enclosedspace therein.

The device may be provided in combination with a kayak extending in thelongitudinal direction, wherein the container of the device is less thanor equal to the kayak in width measured transverse to the longitudinalaxis in a horizontal plane.

The kayak and container may be of substantially similar shape in atleast the horizontal plane.

In one embodiment, the first and second connection points of theconnection member are joined by an elastic member such that the firstand second connection points are spaced by a first prescribed distancewhen the elastic member is in a relaxed state and such that the firstand second connection points are spaced by a second prescribed distancegreater than the first prescribed distance and are biased towards thefirst prescribed distance when the elastic is in a stretched state.

In an alternative embodiment, a distance between the first and secondconnection points is substantially fixed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary embodimentof the present invention:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the watertight towable container of thecargo transport device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overhead plan view of the container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an overhead plan view of the connection member of the cargotransport device connecting the container to a kayak.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the connection member of FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the connectionmember connecting the container to a kayak.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIG. 1, the container 10 of the cargo transport devicefeatures a body 12 having the general shape of a kayak, that isnarrowing toward its opposite ends in both horizontal and verticalplanes to reduce resistance to motion through water. The container 10 ishollow inside to allow the storage of various cargo within. Access tothe container's interior is provided by openings 14 in the top surface16 which are closable by means of lids 18. Each lid 18 is pivotallysupported along an edge 20 of its respective opening 16 nearest arespective end of the container 10. With the lids mounted in thisfashion and at least partially opened, as shown in FIG. 1, the interiorof the container 10 can be accessed from either side. The body 12 isconstructed to be water tight to prevent leaks and retain buoyancy whenplaced on the surface of a body of water. The lids 18 are closable in asealing manner such that the container 10 as a whole is renderedwatertight with the lids in the closed position, as shown in FIG. 2.This ensures that the contents of the container 10 remain dry regardlessof the container's exposure to water from any direction. The container10 may include fastening loops 21 supported on the top surface 16 forthe attachment of tie-down straps or cords for stowing cargo that is notwater sensitive on top of the body 12.

An integral handle 22 at each of the front and rear ends 26, 28 isdefined by a transverse hole 24 through the body 12 to provide aconvenient gripping surface for lifting of the container. A pair ofwheels 30, each individual wheel disposed on an opposite side of thecontainer 10, is supported near the rear end 28 for rotation about acommon axle 32. Due to the upward slope of a bottom surface 34 of thebody 12 toward each end, the wheels 30 are supported so as to be spacedupward from a flat ground surface with the container 10 resting thereon.Lifting the front end 26 by the handle 22 thereat pivots the containerbody 12 about a transverse axis thereof, causing the wheels 30 to movedownward and engage the ground surface. Still using the handle 22, thecontainer 10 can then be pulled along the ground surface for travel overland, eliminating the need to lift the entire container where groundconditions are suitable for rolling motion. The bottom surface 34 of thebody features a recess 36 extending transversely inward on either sideof the longitudinal axis of the container 10 near the rear end 28thereof. The wheels 30 are supported in these recesses 36 so as to notextend outward from the body 12 in the transverse direction. The wheels30 and axle 32 may be mounted in a removable manner so that they may beattached and detached for transport of the container on land and inwater respectively.

As seen in FIG. 1, a hole 38 is provided through the body 12 adjacentthe front end 26 in order to facilitate connection of the container 10to a watercraft for towing thereby. FIG. 3 shows the container 10connected to a kayak 40 by the connection member 50. The connectionmember 50 features fixed mounting elements 52 for attachment to kayak.Each mounting element features a lug 54 extending upward from a mountingpad 56 that is attached to an upper surface 42 near the stern 44 of thekayak 40. The pad 56 is attached to the kayak 40 by rivets or othersuitable fasteners and then further secured with epoxy in order toprovide a waterproof seal between the kayak 40 and mounting element 52.The lug 54 of each mounting element 52 features a hole through which arespective end of bent rod 58 is passed. The rod 58 is bent to definetwo legs 60 that diverge moving from the container 10 to the kayak 40 soas to extend along opposite sides thereof and then bend towards eachother such that their ends pass through the lugs 54 of the mountingelements 52. Opposite the leg ends, the rod 58 is connected to aself-locking hook 60 by a swivel 62. The hook 60 is allowed to lockafter being passed through the hole 40 near the front end of thecontainer 10 to removably secure the connection member 50 thereon. Theswivel 62 permits relative rotation between the hook 60 and the bent rod58 about a longitudinal axis along which the connection member 50extends. This allows relative rotation between the container 10 andkayak about the same axis such that each can react independently toforces exerted thereon during water travel. The rod 58 is free to pivotabout a pivot axis extending through the lugs 54 transverse to thelongitudinal axis. It should be appreciated that the connection member50 can also pivot about an axis defined by the hole 38 in the containerbody 12, as the hook 60 and hole 38 do not provide a rigid connection.This pivotal arrangement allows relative vertical movement to occurbetween the kayak 40 and container 10. These degrees of freedom helpensure that the kayak 40 and container 10 can react to outside forcesindependently such that the towing of the container has notsignificantly affect the ride quality of the watercraft. Furthermore,the substantial rigidity of the rod 58 in the longitudinal directionprevents the creation of slack between the container 10 and kayak 40 soas to avoid the jerking effect experienced with a flexible connection,such as a rope.

The ends of the rod 58 can be pulled back through the lugs 54 of themounting elements 52 so as to disconnect the rod 58, swivel 62, hook 60and container 10 from the kayak 40. The mounting elements 52 do notinterfere with regular use of the kayak 40, but allow fast and easyconnection of the towable container 10 when needed. Disconnecting theentire connection member 50 from the container 10 by removing the hook60 from the hole 38 and then disconnecting the rod 58 from the mountingelements 52 allows the majority of the connection member components tobe stored away, for example within the container 10, when the device 1is not being towed. In other words, a detachable portion of theconnection member 50 defined by the rod 58, swivel 62 and hook 60improves the portability and storability of the device 1 by allowingselective reduction of its overall size, while a fixed portion of theconnection member 50 defined by the mounting elements 52 improves theease of use of the device 1 without detrimentally affecting theappearance or use of the kayak 40 alone.

The legs 60 of the rod 58 diverge to opposite sides of the kayak 40 asshown in FIG. 3 before connecting to the mounting elements 52 so as toallow use of the present invention with a kayak having a stern mountedrudder without interfering with the mounting and operation of thereof.It should be appreciated that the rod 58 may be replaced with analternate member that extends between the container 10 and kayak 40 ononly one side of a central longitudinal axis of the kayak so as to goaround an area left open for the mounting of a rudder on the stern.Obviously, in such a case, there would not be a need for two separatemounting elements on the kayak.

Shaping the container 10 similar to the kayak 40 provides the towabledevice 1 with similar handling characteristics to that of the watercrafttowing it. It should be appreciated, however, that the present inventionmay be used with watercraft other than kayaks. Keeping the width of thecontainer 10, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, equal or lessthan that of the watercraft helps keep the towable device 1 inside thewake of the watercraft so as to minimize the disruption of smooth motionthrough the water. The container 10 may be equipped with one or morekeels or ribs on the bottom surface 34 in order to encourage travel in astraight line. Different types of keels, including those adapted forremovable mounting, are known to those of skill in the art of watercraftand may be applied to the present invention, so long as the container isbuilt watertight to keep the interior dry.

A second pair of mounting elements 52 may be provided near the rear end28 of the container 10 such that a second container may be towed behindit by means of a second a second connection member.

By reducing resistance to motion through water, the streamlinedkayak-like shape of the container increases the efficiency of towing.This allows more cargo to be towed with less energy input required. Forexample, use of the device with a paddled watercraft allows a paddler totransport a greater amount of cargo or reduce the strain experienced intransporting a particular amount of cargo. The device can be easilytransported on a conventional kayak or canoe carrier supported atop anautomobile.

Turning now to FIG. 5, a further embodiment of the attachment betweenthe connection member 50 and the front end 26 of the container body isshown. In this instance, the self locking hook (or latch) 60 issimilarly used for cooperation with the hole 38 in the container body.The hook 60 is attached to the rod 58 of the connection member 50 by twoswivels 62 connected by an elastic member 80 connected in seriestherebetween. Accordingly a first one of the swivels 62 is coupled inseries between the hook 60 and the elastic member 80 while the secondone of the swivels 62 is coupled in series between the other end of theelastic member 80 and the rod 58 of the connection member. In thisarrangement, the first and second connection points of the connectionmember for connection to the container body and the kayak respectivelyare joined by an elastic member such that the first and secondconnection points are supported at a movable distance relative to oneanother as the elastic stretches. The first and second connection pointsare spaced by a first prescribed distance when the elastic member is ina relaxed state and are spaced by a second prescribed distance greaterthan the first prescribed distance in a stretched state. In thestretched state, the elastic nature of the member 80 biases theconnection points back from the second prescribed spacing to the firstprescribed spacing. The elastic member 80 is useful for maintaining ataught connection between the towable container and the kayak.

Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein abovedescribed, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same madewithin the spirit and scope of the claims without department from suchspirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in theaccompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only andnot in a limiting sense.

1. A cargo transport device for towing behind a watercraft, said devicecomprising: a watertight towable container; and a connection memberextending generally in a direction of a longitudinal axis from a firstconnection point for connection to the container to a second connectionpoint for connection to the watercraft; the connection member comprisinga swivel disposed between the first and second connections points andarranged to allow relative pivotal motion between portions of saidconnection member on opposite sides of said swivel about thelongitudinal axis.
 2. The device according to claim 1 wherein thecontainer has a streamlined shape narrowing toward opposite endsthereof.
 3. The device according to claim 1 wherein the streamlinedshape narrows in a horizontal plane toward the opposite ends of thecontainer.
 4. The device according to claim 1 wherein the connectionmember is pivotable about a pivot axis extending transverse to thelongitudinal axis at one or both of the first and second connectionpoints to allow relative vertical movement therebetween.
 5. The deviceaccording to claim 1 further comprising wheels supported on thecontainer for rolling motion thereof along a ground surface.
 6. Thedevice according to claim 5 wherein the wheels are disposed proximateproximate one end of the container such that lifting of an opposite endengages the wheels with the ground surface.
 7. The device according toclaim 1 wherein the connection member comprises a fixed portion at thesecond connection point for fixed mounting on the watercraft.
 8. Thedevice according to claim 7 wherein the fixed portion of the connectionmember is riveted for attachment to the watercraft.
 9. The deviceaccording to claim 7 wherein the fixed portion of the connection memberis epoxied for waterproof attachment to the watercraft.
 10. The deviceaccording to claim 7 wherein the connection member further comprises adetachable portion removably connected to the fixed portion forselectively disconnecting the watercraft and container.
 11. The deviceaccording to claim 1 wherein the connection member is adapted at thefirst connection point to be selectively detachable from the container.12. The device according to claim 1 wherein the connection member isconnected to the container adjacent a first end thereof and the devicefurther comprises a second connection member attached to the containeradjacent a second end opposite the first end for connection to a secondwatertight towable container.
 13. The device according to claim 1wherein the watertight container is closable to define an enclosed spacetherein.
 14. The device according to claim 1 in combination with a kayakextending in the longitudinal direction, wherein the container of thedevice is less than or equal to the kayak in width measured transverseto the longitudinal direction in a horizontal plane.
 15. The deviceaccording to claim 14 wherein the kayak and container are ofsubstantially similar shape in at least the horizontal plane.
 16. Thedevice according to claim 1 wherein the first and second connectionpoints of the connection member are joined by an elastic member suchthat the first and second connection points are spaced by a firstprescribed distance when the elastic member is in a relaxed state andsuch that the first and second connection points are spaced by a secondprescribed distance greater than the first prescribed distance and arebiased towards the first prescribed distance when the elastic is in astretched state.
 17. The device according to claim 1 wherein a distancebetween the first and second connection points is substantially fixed.18. A cargo transport device for towing behind a watercraft, said devicecomprising: a watertight towable container; and a connection memberextending in a longitudinal direction from a first connection pointarranged for connection to the container to a second connection pointarranged for connection to the watercraft; a distance between the firstand second connection points being substantially fixed.
 19. A cargotransport device for towing behind a watercraft, said device comprising:a watertight towable container; and a connection member extending in alongitudinal direction from a first connection point arranged forconnection to the container to a second connection point arranged forconnection to the watercraft; the container having a streamlined shapenarrowing toward opposite ends thereof in the longitudinal direction.20. The device according to claim 19 in combination with a kayakextending in the longitudinal direction, wherein the container of thedevice is less than or equal to the kayak in width measuredperpendicularly to the longitudinal direction in a horizontal plane.